Tea Tree Oil

For so many years, Aveeno was the only skin care product that would keep my skin clear. I considered myself lucky to only have mild acne that could be controlled with an over-the-counter product. I also considered myself lucky to have discovered Aveeno- reasonably priced and I liked most of the ingredients. The salicylic acid in Aveeno seemed to be the main ingredient controlling my mild acne, but it also dried out my skin pretty bad. I just accepted this as a given, slapped on more moisturizer and went about my day.

Then I decided to try the Satin Facial Mint Scrub from Young Living. It’s pretty reasonably priced and I am trying to reduce the amount of chemicals in my daily life, so I thought “why not?” One face washing and I was hooked. My skin was so soft after just washing my face, not even applying moisturizer. My skin also felt light and refreshed. I couldn’t go back to Aveeno.

I was happy with my little mint scrub for about a week. I was feeling pretty righteous about kicking my chemicals to the curb and replacing them with an essential oil, all-natural alternative. And then reality struck- my acne reappeared. It reminded me why I needed Aveeno in the first place.

Luckily I had received Tea Tree oil free as part of my Essential Rewards order the previous month. I hadn’t done much with it except open the bottle and smell it. But in passing I heard that Tea Tree oil could be used to clear skin. With nothing to lose, I dabbed a little of the Tea Tree essential oil on the acne spots after washing my face with the little mint scrub. Acne was cleared in less than two days! And I still got to enjoy the soft, moisture-full feel of my skin after washing with the little mint scrub.

Turns out there are lots of studies on using Tea Tree oil to treat acne, like this one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27000386

I just wasn’t aware until now. I am excited to see what else I can use this little free bottle of essential oil for!